New Roma owner plans to make a swoop for Barca duo Milito and Mascherano
According to reports from the Italian capital, new Roma FC’s owner, Thomas Di Benedetto, is targeting La Liga giant’s Barcelona’s Argentine duo, Javier Mascherano and Gabriel Milito, for a summer swoop. The new owner took over the club officially a few days
ago but he has already highlighted their summer transfer targets, as he intends to mount a Scudetto (Italian League Title) assault for next season. The American businessman, Thomas Di Benedetto, is going to be the majority shareholder at Roma and has made
it clear that Gabriel Milito would be Roma’s primary target in the upcoming summer transfer window. The Giallorossi (term coined for Roma’s players) are looking to bolster the team’s defense and see the Argentine defender a perfect addition to the squad.
Earlier this week, it was reported that Mascherano was another key target and it seems that Signor Di Benedetto is looking to make a bid for both Argentineans as soon as the transfer window opens in July 2011. Furthermore, the imminent departure of French
international, Philippe Mexes, is bound to leave a significant void in the team’s defense and to overcome this void Roma would be looking for a replacement. The club’s hierarchy believes that Milito would pair up well with fellow Argentine international Nicolas
Burdisso if he is signed this summer.
30-year old Gabriel Milito is Inter Milan’s striker Diego Milito’s brother and has been with Barcelona since 2007, but injuries since joining the Catalan giants has restricted his appearances for the club. In his four seasons with the club he has only made
45 appearances for the Spanish giants. In May 2008, a right knee injury took him out of the game completely, for 2 years. The former Independiente (Argentine Club) man has 35 caps for his national team even though he was out of the national team for three
years due to his knee injury. In August 2010, he made his first appearance for the South American giants’ friendly against Spain after a three year absence.
Milito’s status as a highly injury prone player makes one wonder whether Roma is looking to sign a player like him. Even though, he is a good defender, Milito’s injury record shows that he will probably be not fit for all games implying that the new American
owner will have to look at this deal through all angles before tabling an offer for the Argentine defender.
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